Wireless local area communication networks (WLAN) such as IEEE 802.11 wireless communication networks are able to provide communications for their users utilizing wireless access support, in the form of wireless access points or access ports, collectively referred to herein as access points (AP). Due to its convenience, WLAN usage and client density is increasing day by day and WLAN can be deployed in many different locations having different characteristics. For example, some locations will not see a large number of clients being served by a single AP (like in an enterprise). However, most public locations (like a retail shop) would see an uneven number of clients per AP. Further, there could be sudden burst of users trying to associate to a single AP. Further still, in an enterprise there is a trend to bring your own device (BYOD), where a single user could bring multiple wireless devices, which increases the load on a single AP. As a result, the load on a limited numbers of APs is ever increasing, even if such load might be just a temporary traffic demand. There are various algorithms to provide load balancing across APs. However, there are particular issues with load balancing that need to be solved.
The simplest solution to load balancing is to hand off user devices from a more heavily loaded AP to a less loaded AP. However, this can be an issue where APs have different capabilities. For example, handing off a device capable of high data rates to an AP with a lower data rate capability will result in slowing down that user device. This will also impact the overall throughput of the AP since more time will be needed to handle all the data of the device. Another solution is to increase the power level of a neighboring AP, such that a user device will find a better signal with that AP and hand off to it. However, increasing a power level of an AP will result in more network interference, which is undesirable. Along the same lines, lowering the power of a serving AP may drop service to a user device, which is also undesirable. These disruptions can no longer be planned for during an initial capacity planning and layout of APs in the network due to the infiltration of communication-intensive devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Accordingly, there is a need for new technique to relieve an AP from a sudden temporary burst of user devices requiring service on that AP.
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The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.